Coogee Aquarium and Swimming Baths

Pleasure gardens, baths and aquarium constructed at the northern end of Coogee Beach. The original 'Coogee Palace' covered the whole block bound by Dolphin, Beach, Bream and Arden streets. A promenade was constructed in 1889 could accommodate 3,000 people. From the 1920s, parts of the site were leased to shopkeepers and residents. In 1935, the aquarium displayed the shark at the centre of the shark arm murder case. A conservation order was placed in 1982 and in 1984 the building's huge dome collapsed. In 1987 the building was restored and reopened as The Beach Palace Hotel. In 2014 the building was purchased by the Merivale group and reopened as the Coogee Pavilion, a restaurant and bar complex.

What Sick Shark Revealed, front page of the Sydney Truth 5 May 1935

Celebration of Anniversary Day to 1900

Still celebrated as Australia Day, the anniversary of the arrival of the European settlers at Sydney was called Anniversary Day during the nineteenth century. The convict origins of the colony were glossed over and present achievements were emphasised in official functions, but ordinary Sydneysiders marked the holiday with picnics, regattas, sports and fireworks, much as they do today.

McMahons Point

Part of Cammeraygal country, the headland later called McMahons Point was granted to William Blue in 1817. It was named for Michael McMahon, a local politician and businessman, who advocated such infrastructure as water supply, ferry services and trams. McMahons Point became an industrial area with boatbuilding yards and engineering works along the foreshore. As this industry declined in the later twentieth century, redevelopment of the point led to fierce battles over preservation of heritage.

Shark Arm murder 1935

One of Sydney's most sensational crimes, the Shark Arm murder was never solved.

Ocean baths

Rock baths, ocean pools and bogey holes have provided Sydney swimmers with 'wild' swimming that is nevertheless protected, linking the suburban with the sublime all along Sydney's coastline.

New Year's Eve

Now one of Sydney's favourite public occasions, New Year's Eve was hardly celebrated before the late nineteenth century, when reliable lighting made outdoor night time revelry safer and more inviting. Sydney's celebrations have moved about the city and taken different forms over time.

Coogee

For local Aboriginal people, 'koojah' or Coogee, was a rich source of food, abundant with fish, wallaby and kangaroo. In the nineteenth century the area became a popular weekend destination for picnics, cricket, collecting shells along the beach and swimming. It wasn't until the turn of the twentieth century that residential development really began. Although slow to develop, today the area remains popular with locals, tourists and weekend visitors alike, reflecting the historical nature of Coogee itself.

Randwick Heritage Plaques

Randwick City Council Bicentennial Commemorative Plaques recognise buildings and sites of historical significance throughout Randwick municpality.